BEIJING, May 16 -- In February of this year, China became the global leader in private car purchases, yet another indication of its emergence as a world economic power.

    For many Chinese people, owning a car has become a symbol of success and of personal freedom. I would never argue that private cars don't provide a measure of convenience and control over one's daily life. But as a person born in the cradle of car culture, in Southern California, who has owned a car for most of her life, I've come to the conclusion that dependence on automobiles is nothing to celebrate – especially in our cities.

    Let's start with the basics: traffic. Take Beijing as an example. Much of Beijing was built before the massive explosion of private car ownership. The infrastructure is simply not designed to carry as many cars as are present today. Anyone who has spent any amount of time in Beijing – or in most major Chinese cities – can comment on the horrible traffic jams that have made getting around a stressful, time-wasting chore.

    Certainly the pollution cars create is a serious issue – in Shanghai, for example, some 80% of urban air pollution comes from car exhaust. The impact this has on public health is severe and profound.

    But I'd like to address a more fundamental truth: When cities are built to accommodate cars, they are no longer designed to accommodate people.

    Coming to Beijing for the Olympics was a revelation. I went with a friend who had visited the city a few years before. We were both amazed by the difference the new subway lines made, and even more, by the impact of removing half of the city's privately owned cars every day.

    “If you came here and you'd never been here before, you'd think it was a completely different city,” she commented more than once.

    And it was true. The skies were blue, free of smog - in part due to the factory closures and halts to construction, I realize, but the removal of half of Beijing's automobile traffic was key to reducing pollution.

    Even more striking was the impact fewer cars had on the overall “atmosphere” of the city. Gone were the constantly honking horns, the noise and exhaust. Cars no longer ruled the streets, people did. Pedestrians could cross the roads without worrying about dodging cars or waiting for breaks in the traffic – there was no traffic. I have never seen Beijingers so relaxed – well, not since 1979, that is.

    Of course, this is not 1979, it's 2009. Bicycles no longer have the appeal for people that cars do.

    However, I think there are some compromises that can and should be made. Of China's major cities, only Shanghai has adopted a license plate auction system – and this, apparently, will expire after the 2010 Expo. Other world cities use such fees, congestion pricing and expensive parking to reduce traffic – why not in China?

    I applaud China's expansion of mass transit systems and only wish that my own country would make a similar commitment. I'd like to think that safe, convenient and inexpensive subways will ultimately prove a more attractive option than expensive private cars that spend most of their time stuck on smoggy, congested freeways or Ring Roads.

    More urban areas should be given over to pedestrians only. For example, Beijing's Nanluoguxiang is extremely popular with tourists and locals alike for its collection of bars and unique shops. It's part of a preserved hutong district and as such was not designed for automobile traffic. And yet, cars constantly clog the alley, caught in throngs of pedestrians, honking when they're stuck in gridlock, which is more often than not. Why isn't this lane a “pedestrian only” district? This would only enhance its appeal. There are many areas in China's cities that would be suitable “walking zones' – and where such areas don't exist, they should be created. We humans were meant to move, to walk, and I believe that we are happiest when we live in places that acknowledge this fact.

    Although private cars can provide a refuge of sorts for their owners, they also add immeasurably to the stress and alienation of urban life. Car culture is extremely seductive but ultimately it isn't a healthy – or happy – culture in which to live.

    (Source: Globaltimes.cn)